The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Nehemiah 10:29,
"...all these now join their fellow Israelites the nobles, and bind themselves with a curse and an oath to follow the Law of God given through Moses the servant of God and to obey carefully all the commands, regulations and decrees of the Lord our Lord."
Following a coming together of the Jews in Jerusalem to hear the law read and to confess their sins, they made a "binding agreement" among themselves to follow the law of God by obeying it.
The effort of obeying the law is quite different from simply listening to the law. They had already listened to it and now they committed themselves to the pursuit of obeying it.
"...all these now join their fellow Israelites the nobles, and bind themselves with a curse and an oath to follow the Law of God given through Moses the servant of God and to obey carefully all the commands, regulations and decrees of the Lord our Lord."
Following a coming together of the Jews in Jerusalem to hear the law read and to confess their sins, they made a "binding agreement" among themselves to follow the law of God by obeying it.
The effort of obeying the law is quite different from simply listening to the law. They had already listened to it and now they committed themselves to the pursuit of obeying it.
Paul pointed out that some in his day thought that simply being a descendant of Abraham and attending synagogue to listen to the law was enough of a commitment to be a good Jew. On the contrary, Paul says, "For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous." Romans 2:13.
Why is this important? Simply put, it is the very effort of attempting to obey God's law that causes one to eventually throw himself/herself to the feet of the Lord's mercy and seek his deliverance. When we attempt to keep God's law, we find that we really are unable to do so because of an abiding sinful nature that dwells within each and every one of us. We discover that instead of being deft spiritually, we all are really bereft spiritually, unable to come close to qualifying for any relationship with the Lord and headed for God's judgment of us at the end of the age.
As Paul puts it, "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin." Romans 3:20. It is that very failure to keep God's law that proves our spiritual need and prompts our desperate plea for his forgiveness. This is why we call Jesus Christ our Savior.
We are told that if we seek the Savior and confess those sins that the law points out in our lives, we will find his forgiveness, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9.
If/when we do so, we will be able to say with David,
"Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand." Psalm 16:9-11.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Why is this important? Simply put, it is the very effort of attempting to obey God's law that causes one to eventually throw himself/herself to the feet of the Lord's mercy and seek his deliverance. When we attempt to keep God's law, we find that we really are unable to do so because of an abiding sinful nature that dwells within each and every one of us. We discover that instead of being deft spiritually, we all are really bereft spiritually, unable to come close to qualifying for any relationship with the Lord and headed for God's judgment of us at the end of the age.
As Paul puts it, "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin." Romans 3:20. It is that very failure to keep God's law that proves our spiritual need and prompts our desperate plea for his forgiveness. This is why we call Jesus Christ our Savior.
We are told that if we seek the Savior and confess those sins that the law points out in our lives, we will find his forgiveness, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9.
If/when we do so, we will be able to say with David,
"Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand." Psalm 16:9-11.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
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